New Delhi: The Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu today advised the Union Minister of State (I/C) for Youth Affairs & Sports, Kiren Rijiju to expedite various ongoing sports projects in Andhra Pradesh, including the construction of multipurpose Sports Complex at Mogallapalem village in Nellore district.
At a meeting held at Uparashtapati Bhawan, the Union Minister Kiren Rijiju briefed the Vice President about the progress of sports projects and said that some were being delayed for want of utilization certificates from state sports authorities.
The Vice President advised the Minister and Secretary of the Ministry to keep in touch with Andhra Pradesh Government and monitor the progress of projects on an urgent basis.
The other projects that came up for discussion include Mini Sports Complex at Kommadi near Visakhapatnam, Astro-turf Hockey field at Kakinada, and Multipurpose Indoor Stadium in Vizianagaram District.
During the meeting, the Vice President telephonically spoke to Minister for Tourism, Culture and Youth Advancement of Andhra Pradesh, Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao and enquired about the progress of various sports projects.
The Vice President asked Rejiju to involve the private sector in a big way in promoting sports activities in the country. He wanted various Union Ministries to cooperate with the Sports Ministry and sponsor different sporting events. Given the importance of sports and fitness in one’s life, Naidu urged all universities and educational institutions to accord high priority to sports. He wanted all stakeholders to provide a massive thrust for the development of games and sports to enable India to achieve greater glory in various sporting events across the globe in the years to come.
The Vice President appreciated the Government for promoting sports by way of the Khelo India initiative and for promoting sporting culture in the country.